Help set up Speed fusion to 2 soho mk3 routers for a dummy

Hi,
I could really use some help… I have 2 soho mk3 routers… One is in a cabin in the mountains that has 2 very limited and slow internet connections… one of the WAN connections is a Verizon MiFi 8880L with a yagi antenna that barely gets a connection… and its data is prioritized behind other customers… I also have a private point to point system but it’s maximum speed at best is 1.3 down or up…
I have another home in Los Angeles that has a Fios internet connection that is fast…aprx. 150mbps up and down
I have been reading a little about Peplinks speed fusion system… would it be possible to connect one of my peplink soho routers to the fios system in LA and then send some of that bandwidth to my cabin in the mountains? And if so could someone please help me to configure that? I am currently at my cabin… and I updated the soho there… registered it and got the speed fusion update via in control… I can have someone go to my home in LA and plug in and connect the 2nd soho router to the internet there…
Any and all help would be appreciated… and please keep in mind that I am a real “newbie” to all of this… I am curious… and can slowly figure things out… but I am by no means a “IT” kinda guy…
Thanks for your help…

Hi. Well SpeedFusion and PepVPN do some amazing things. It would be trivial, for example, to set up a “nailed up” VPN between the two locations. Your SOHOs will do that “out of the box.” But one thing these devices cannot do (and neither can their competitors) is “invent” bandwidth. The limiting factor to everything you may wish to do will be the poor connectivity to the cabin. I’d make resolving that my #1 priority. (Yes, such locations are often quite difficult. Many of us have “been there.”)

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Hi Rick,

Thanks for getting back to me… I really appreciate your help!

The speed of my Verizon connection is limited by the bandwidth that they give me… sometimes I am seeing speeds of 12mbps (like now) and sometimes around prime time at night I see speeds of less than 1mbps… I am being prioritized behind other customers… and the point to point system is somehow set to throttle me at 1.5mbps because of his limited input (3 x T1 lines for all of his customers)… Is there any way for me to give my self more bandwidth by setting up a VPN from my home in LA?

Thanks again!

here are a couple of screenshots from 2 speedtests… one at prime time at night… and the other this morning…

Hi. No. That’s what I tried to say. A VPN just won’t do that for you. I feel your pain vis-a-vis the limited bandwidth situation. We often work in such environments. You simply need “bigger pipes” at your cabin door. :smirk:

One thing you may wish to consider in the future is upgrading your router from the SOHO to a Balance or Max series device. The SOHO is an excellent product which allows the use of a single WAN at any given time. The Balance and Max routers permit the use of multiple WANs simultaneously. So, both WANs can be used at their maximum capacity. Take a look here → https://www.peplink.com/products/max-cellular-router/. Do the other cel providers have good service in that area?

Thanks Rick,
Well at least I tried! Unfortunately there is only one cell tower in my area… and all the providers use it…

I am “grandfathered” in on a Verizon “unlimited data plan" that they no longer offer… I also have an ATT data plan that is limited to 25 gigs a month… same tower… similar speeds to the VZW……

ATT doesn’t offer any unlimited data plans anymore… and the plans that they do have are very pricey…

I also have the point to point Big Sur Wireless plan that is unlimited and is fed to my SOHO via an ethernet cable… I get it from 2.4 ghz “point to point” system… my provider is about 6 miles away as the crow flies… and he is fed his bandwidth via 3 x T1 lines that he then divides up amongst his subscribers… Although he basically throttles us all to 1.5mbps at best…

What is the advantage of having the VPN from my place in LA?

Thanks again,

Josh

I feel your pain, Josh. Yours is much more like the world in which we and many of our customers live than “5G” – which we may see in a few years. (We’re sorta amused by discussions of Cat18 modems … :smirk:)

“Advantage?” Well, it’s really all about what you want “to do.” If you wish to access network resources from one location to another, for example, you’ll find PepVPN absolutely indispensable. It’s just one of those few things in life that “just works.”

Hi Rick… One more quick question. I currently have a Peplink SoHo mk3 router at my place in the mountains… And I have 3 WAN inputs feeding it… one is a VZW 8880L linked via WIFI, One is a ATT 1100 Nighthawk linked Via USB C cable and the third is a point to point WIFI provider that is linked to the router via Ethernet cable… is there any way of possibly “combining” their signal to improve my speeds?

Hi. No. Not with a SOHO. The SOHO is a fine router but it’s “one WAN at a time.” You’d find something the Balance 20 or Balance One (with or without wi-fi - two versions) indispensable to manage two or more WANs simultaneously. Or, probably better given your environment as I understand it, you could use something like the Max BR1 series (or even BR2, depending on your budget). If you use something like the BR1-Mini-LTEA you’d want the optional license that lets it use >1 WAN at a time – like the Balance series does. The advantage of something like the BR1 is that you could dispose of one or both of your “other” boxes. Personally, I’d think that would be a worthwhile objective in itself.

Send me a PM if you’d like to discuss further! There are lots of variables here.